3 Ways to Stay Relevant and Be Effective as a Leader
What do you do when old leadership paradigms are crumbling? If you want to stay relevant as a leader, you can’t avoid this question, especially with the frenetic pace of change in today’s world.
What a difference a decade makes. In the past 10 years, technology became a driver in the workplace, five generations joined the workforce, and there’s been a sea change in workers’ expectations about addressing inequality and societal problems.1 (And, although a pandemic was certainly predictable, who could have known exactly how much it would influence telecommuting?)
What about the decade ahead? Here’s just a small preview: Forty percent of large companies will be gone, 500 million people will be freelancing (IFTF, Institute For The Future), and skills will need retooling by the time the decade is half over. (Deloitte).2
What this all means for you as a leader may be somewhat self-evident. You want to not only stay current with the technology needed for your job, but also gain a depth of understanding about the diversity of all the generations, races, and backgrounds of the people you lead.
Take a fresh look at learning.
The pace of digital disruption means that leaders must really focus on developing skills. However, this goes beyond simply adding technical skills. Because of the pace of change today, what your team knows may be as important as their ability and desire to learn new things. That means you’ll need to reward curiosity and foster a safe environment for testing – removing the fear of failure. Nurture a wide range of soft skills such as drive, diligence, and initiative as well as promote techniques such as collaborative inquiry.3,4
Create an environment of collaboration.
The days of top-down management are shifting. As a leader, being open to organizational and individual adaptability, and modeling this adaptive behavior, will help you stay nimble in the ever-changing workplace. Establishing a trusting environment that welcomes collaboration and diverse input, will create an innovative and rewarding work environment. 4
Embrace the social enterprise.
Companies have long had to pay attention to many legal and regulatory licenses. But today’s workforce expects more from their employers—a greater focus on the common good for the benefit of society.
Some employees harbor resentment about the pay inequities between upper management and the rest of the staff. Or they may want to know what their company will do to mitigate the harmful impacts of technology such as information overload and 24/7 connections. Many want to know how their company is making the world a better place such as with social-impact investing and taking steps to help the planet. And they expect their leaders to decisively respond to crises not only within their industry but also within the national or political realm at large.
Transparently and authentically relaying your views on these and other issues will go a long way toward creating a greater investment by your team and ultimately translate into greater productivity down the road.5,6,7
Times are changing, and leaders who pay attention to the shifting landscape will remain relevant in today’s (and tomorrow’s) dynamic workforce.
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